


Of Monsters and Guilds

by Enikawa_Moriko, quiddative



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Everyone can do Magic, Fantasy, Friendship, Gen, Magic, Team Voltron Family, Team as Family, That was Written Before Season 6 was released, This is Essentially a DnD Campaign
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-18
Updated: 2018-07-18
Packaged: 2019-06-10 17:04:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15296091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Enikawa_Moriko/pseuds/Enikawa_Moriko, https://archiveofourown.org/users/quiddative/pseuds/quiddative
Summary: In a world of guilds and magic, five mages come together in a quest that could change everything. Lance thinks he needs to prove himself, Hunk just wants to travel, Pidge has a brother to save, Keith won’t give up on his either, and Allura is on a mission to recover what was once lost.(Or: Even in another universe, some things stay the same; Shiro is in trouble, Zarkon is up to no good, and it’s up to the team to save the day.)





	Of Monsters and Guilds

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for the Voltron Gen Minibang with the lovely [enikawa moriko](http://enikawamoriko.tumblr.com) as my artist! Please check out her wonderful art at the end!! 
> 
> I wanted to challenge myself to write gen since that’s something I rarely, if ever, write, so I hope you enjoy!

Rationally, Lance knew that the city was going to be vastly different from the tiny fishing village he was born in, but _knowing_ that had been one thing and actually _seeing_ it was another matter entirely. Still—beyond the structures that towered intimidatingly over him and Hunk when they passed through the gates, and all the people that bustled around them like bees—it was the smell that stuck out to him the most.

 

Growing up by the sea meant that the distinct scent of the ocean had always been the first thing that greeted Lance when he woke up at dawn and the last thing he registered when he fell asleep at night. Here, in the capital city and very heart of their kingdom, all he could smell was smoke mixed in with sweat from the overwhelming crowd that pushed into him and Hunk. There was also something staunchly metallic in the air that served as a solid reminder that he was far, far from home.

 

“Um, can we find somewhere to sit? I’m feeling kind of nauseous,” Hunk wheezed from his side.

 

Hunk was easily one of the tallest people within a fifty meter radius. He also had a heavy ornamental staff strapped to his back that made him stand out even more among the crowd but he currently had his shoulders scrunched up to his neck and back bowed forward like an apostrophe, trying and failing to make himself seem smaller and less noticeable. He was less timid now compared to the shy, uncertain boy Lance had met years ago but his confidence still needed some work.

 

“Already? But we just got here!” Nevertheless, Lance gently led him to a less crowded corner of the market square to rest until he got over his dizzy spell.

 

“Sorry, dude, but I’m not used to being around so many people,” said Hunk mournfully.

 

Lance shook his head and gave him a reassuring smile. “It’s all good, buddy.” His eyes scanned the square. No one was paying any attention to them. Everyone was too absorbed in their own worlds. “I don’t think the city’s usually like this, either.”

 

Today was the first day of the one week of the year where all the Guilds in the capital opened their doors to potential members, a kind of ‘open house’. There was a variety of Guild types ranging from those that specialized in manual labour, like woodworking and weaving, to the most elite—magic.

 

That was the reason Lance and Hunk (but mainly Lance) were here today. Lance came from a long line of mages with an affinity for water and had dreamt of joining a Guild since he was old enough to start learning magic. While they were growing up, Lance’s brother Luis was fond of saying, “ _Joining a Guild means a direct pathway to fame and glory._ ”

 

Now that he was actually at the capital, Lance’s dream finally seemed close enough to touch.

 

“Okay, I’m good now,” said Hunk a few minutes later, sounding much more confident than he had been earlier. It helped that he was now fiddling with a gadget from his tool pouch, an action that never failed to calm him down. He squared his shoulders and gave Lance a thumbs up.

 

Lance returned it and they set off in the direction of the center of the square, where the various posters around the market indicated all the Guild stalls would be.

 

While Hunk stuck closely to Lance like glue and kept a nervous watch over their surroundings, Lance couldn’t help gaping at all the new and colourful sights around them with a wide grin on his face. _Veronica is going to be so jealous when I tell her about this_ , Lance grinned to himself, thinking of his older sister.

 

Eventually, they reached the biggest stall in the center. Hanging above it was a massive sign with the words _Guild Garrison_ painted across it. Lance nudged Hunk’s arm. “Here we are, my great big Hunk a’ love!”

 

Hunk gulped. “That’s a long line.”

 

He was right. There was a line that snaked all the way around the Garrison’s stall—and not just once or twice but _three_ times—comprised of mages who looked like they came from every corner of the kingdom. Lance didn’t recognize any of the styles of clothing or jewelry they were wearing and some of them looked exactly like the hardened sorcerers depicted in the books he read as a kid. It was intimidating, sure, but did nothing to stop him from throwing himself into the back of the line, dragging Hunk along with him.

 

The good news was the line moved fairly quickly for how long it was.

 

The bad news was that there seemed to be a specific reason for this, which became clearer as the number of people in front of Lance and Hunk decreased.

 

A menacingly tall man with an eyepatch was sitting on the other side of the stall and judging the candidates. Well, it looked less like judging and more like a process that involved barking out a steady stream of insults. Lance gulped as he and Hunk grew closer to the front of the line.

 

So far, none of the candidates seemed to pass muster, which Lance was willing to admit was worrying. “Maybe we should check out some of the other Guilds?” Hunk suggested quietly, clearly on the same wavelength as him.

 

Lance shook his head. “No!” he hissed. “We’ve already come this far and we have to at least try.”

 

Hunk sighed but didn’t try to dissuade him after that.

 

Eventually, it was Lance’s turn.

 

“Name, age, and specialism,” barked one of the two Guild members flanking the man with the eyepatch.

 

Lance straightened his spine. “Lance McClain, seventeen, a-and I specialize in water magic, sir.”

 

His colleague snorted, “Oh look, another _mermaid_.” A few other mages scattered around the stall snickered. “Like they aren’t a dime-a-dozen already.”

 

Lance’s confidence fell but he bit his tongue and kept his eyes fixed on Mr. Eyepatch. He was the only one he needed to impress.

 

Once Lance’s information was recorded, Mr. Eyepatch huffed, “Alright, show me what you’ve got.”

 

Lance nodded and held his right hand out, palm facing the sky. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, drawing from the well of energy in his core just like his mom and grandma taught him. On the exhale, he blew into his palm and concentrated on forming an orchid out of the ice in his breath. His grandma once tried to explain to him and his siblings exactly how the process of converting the water molecules in the air into ice and liquid worked but Lance had nodded off. He didn’t need to know _how_ he could do it as long as he was able to do it.

 

When he opened his eyes, a small light blue orchid laid in his hand, glistening in the sun. He smiled and presented it to Mr. Eyepatch.

 

One of the Guild members burst out laughing, startling Lance into nearly dropping his creation. “That’s it? Man, you candidates just keep getting weaker every year, don’t you?”

 

Lance bristled and white hot irritation crept up his neck. “I’m not—”

 

“Next,” Mr. Eyepatch grunted, looking bored.

 

Lance snapped his gaze back to him. “No, please! I can do more than that! Just give me—”

 

“I said…” Mr. Eyepatch stood up from his seat, towering over him threateningly, “... _next_.” Lightning crackled in the air and Lance wasn’t naive enough to believe it was coming from anywhere else except the man in front of him. Lance knew that Guild mages were strong but he had never been made so viscerally aware of that fact until now.

 

He swallowed and raised his hands placatingly. “O-Okay.”

 

He slinked out of the line, a dog with his tail between his legs. Hunk stammered out an excuse before quickly following him.

 

Once they were far away enough that they couldn’t even see the stall anymore, Hunk slumped his shoulders and sighed so loudly that it startled several passersby. “Man, that was _terrifying_ ,” he gasped. “Okay, can we just agree that we’re _never_ doing that ever again?”

 

Lance nodded numbly. He _knew_ that getting into a Guild was going to be difficult but he hadn’t expected to be brushed off so quickly like—

 

 _Like an annoying fly_ , his brain supplied unhelpfully.

 

He jumped at the sudden pressure on his shoulder but it was only Hunk’s hand. He turned to find his best friend watching him worriedly. “You okay, bro?”

 

Lance shook himself out of his stupor and pasted a cocky grin on his face. “Yeah, man! Who cares about what some dumb one-eyed weirdo thinks? There are plenty of other Guilds that’ll recognize what the Garrison’s missing out on.” Lance gestured dramatically to himself. He forcefully stomped down on the voice in the back of his head whispering that there were no other Guilds that could compare to the Garrison. There was a reason for its far-reaching reputation and it had everything to do with the strength of the Guild’s mages.

 

“You talkin’ about Iverson?”

 

Lance and Hunk whipped around to see a tall, lanky dark-skinned man grinning at them from the doorway he was leaning against. “Sorry, I just couldn’t help but overhear. That ‘one-eyed weirdo’ you mentioned was Iverson, right? The head of the Garrison?”

 

“Yeah, you know him?” said Hunk.

 

The man spat into the ground. “Everyone in the city knows _of_ him, at least. I take it you didn’t make the cut, huh?”

 

Lance forced himself to pull back at the irritation rising within him at how _casual_ this complete stranger’s words were, like he wasn’t surprised. “What gave it away?” he asked in a sour voice.

 

The man didn’t seem to take offence. “Just a hunch. It’s almost impossible to get into the Garrison; everyone knows that.”

 

“The Garrison is bad news anyway,” added an unfamiliar feminine voice. A beautiful pale-skinned blonde girl stepped out from behind the man. “After what happened two months ago…” she trailed off in a shudder.

 

“Two months ago?” asked Hunk, raising an eyebrow.

 

The man’s grin disappeared and he nodded solemnly. “Yeah, two months ago the Garrison sent their best mages out to the Daibazaal Mountains on a mission. No one knows what happened, or even what the mission _was_ , but only one survivor made it back.”

 

“And just barely. Last I heard, the poor kid’s been in a coma ever since. The Garrison’s been keeping it hush-hush—it’s bad publicity,” said the girl. “Trust me, you’re better off looking for other Guilds to join instead of the Garrison.”

 

Lance’s eyes widened and he glanced at Hunk, who was wearing an identical expression of surprise on his face. Neither of them had heard anything about this during their journey to the capital.

 

“Anyway,” continued the man, either oblivious or uncaring of their shock, “if you’re going to be looking for other Guilds, you’ll probably want a place to stay for the rest of the week.” He straightened his posture. “And I think we’ve got just the place for you.” He gestured to the open doorway behind him.

 

Lance and Hunk looked up. There was a sign above the modest building, which they could now see was an inn, that said, _Rolo and Nyma’s_.

 

“I take it you’re Rolo and Nyma, then?” said Hunk.

 

The pair shot them identical grins that looked too innocent to be so.

 

Lance and Hunk shared a look. Hunk shrugged. _I’m game if you are_ , his eyes said.

 

Lance turned back to Rolo and Nyma, both of whom were still grinning at them. Although neither Lance or Hunk had thought that far ahead about their accommodations, Rolo brought up a good point.

 

 _Looks like we’re staying here for the night_ , Lance thought.

* * *

Allura watched with narrowed eyes as another mage walked towards her stall, stopped, squinted at the sign, did a double take, and pivoted back where they came from like the hounds of hell were after them. As soon as they were out of sight, Allura let out a frustrated groan and slumped against the stall.

 

She lost count of how many mages had reacted that way half an hour ago and the morning wasn’t even over yet. She knew that attracting potential candidates to the Guild was going to be difficult when she registered for a stall and was met with looks of disbelief, but she hadn’t imagined anything like this.

 

Last year, Guild Altea had the biggest stall in the square. Mages from all over the kingdom and even neighbouring territories came to try their luck in joining their ranks. There were so many of them that the line nearly extended all the way to the city gates. Allura had been so _proud_.

 

But now, the Guild had must have been the smallest stall out of all the ones present today. Not only that, they were tucked away in the farthest corner of the square, like something shameful.

 

A hand squeezed her shoulder, coaxing her back to the present. She looked up to find her godfather, Coran, watching her with warm eyes. “Chin up, Princess,” he said, using her childhood nickname, “we still have a week left. That’s plenty of time for other candidates to arrive.”

 

Allura nodded, even though she couldn’t bring herself to share his optimism. “Of course,” she said.

 

He wasn’t _wrong_ , exactly, but Allura couldn’t help but think darkly, _And they’ll all turn tail once they find out who we are, just like the rest_.

 

_“This is the end of Guild Altea.”_

 

She clenched her fists as _that man’s_ voice echoed in her mind. Fire, pain, blood—the memory of the night that changed Allura’s life forever dug its claws into her chest so deeply until she nearly forgot to breathe.

 

 _No, it’s not_ , she thought. Because she was going to avenge her father and everyone who gave their lives to protect the Guild that night, and take back the birthright that was stolen from her.

 

It was only out of respect for Coran as her father’s advisor and the only other remaining member of the Guild that she wasn’t already on the other side of the Daibazaal Mountains with the sole intention of tearing _that man’s heart out of his chest_. As impatient as Allura was, even she had to admit that Coran was right when he had gently suggested rebuilding the Guild before they did anything else. With barely any resources left after that night, new members were now essential to the Guild’s continuing survival.

 

As if on cue, the sound of someone clearing their throat drifted towards them. Allura and Coran looked up to find a short mage standing in front of the stall and shuffling their feet awkwardly. “Um, hi, my name is Katie Holt—but you can call me Pidge—and I’m interested in joining Guild Altea,” she said, although her statement came out as more of a nervous question.

 

Allura straightened her back and cleared her throat. “Of course!” she said, perhaps too brightly if the way the mage—Pidge jumped slightly at her voice was any indication. “If you don’t mind me asking, is there a particular reason you wanted to join Altea instead of some of the other Guilds?”

 

A shadow came over Pidge’s face and Allura instantly felt something in her chest tighten, almost guiltily. She was about to apologize when Pidge raised her head and shot her a defiant gaze. There was fire in her amber eyes. “My brother—he’s sick. We tried everything but nothing’s worked so far. I heard that Guild Altea’s knowledge in the healing arts is without equal. Is that true?”

 

Despite the girl’s challenging and borderline rude tone, Allura was impressed by her determination. It reminded her of...well, herself.

 

And that was exactly what she needed.

 

“Yes, that is correct,” she said. “We’ve had some...difficulties lately, but I assure you, if there is a cure for your brother, then we’ll find it. It may take a while but I promise we’ll do our best.”

 

Pidge nodded, seemingly satisfied. “Yeah, I heard about that.” She plowed on in spite of the brief wince that appeared on Allura and Coran’s faces, “So, how does this work? I heard there was a test of some sort?”

 

During the Guild’s hayday, Pidge would have had to go through a three-day long trial that would test every aspect of her skills as a mage, including the mental and physical. But Allura didn’t have that kind of time.

 

“Why don’t you start by giving us a demonstration?” Coran asked, giving her an encouraging smile.

 

Pidge nodded and set the rucksack she had slung over her shoulder down. She opened it and took out a flower of some sort, along with a few twigs. Next, she pulled out a piece of chalk and drew a circle around it.

 

Afterwards, Pidge stood up and held her hands over the circle with the palms facing downwards. She began to murmur something under her breath, a spell.

 

Allura felt the air around her thin before a flash of light exploded from the circle, forcing her to close her eyes. When she opened them, a wooden puppet stood in the circle in place of the flower and the twigs. No, it _was_ the flower and the twigs combined together to form a small figure that was now swiveling its head around like a child.

 

“Ah,” said Coran knowingly. “Botanical magic. Yes, that would complement our Guild’s skillset immensely.”

 

Pidge crossed her arms and shot them a satisfied grin. “Well?”

 

Coran raised his eyebrow at Allura but he already knew the answer. Allura nodded and turned back to Pidge with a grin. She stood up and held her hand out for the other girl to shake. “Welcome to Guild Altea.”

* * *

Hunk wrinkled his nose at his dinner that night. The meat looked fine but he could tell from the smell (or lack thereof) that whoever the cook was hadn’t seasoned it well—or at all.

 

“You know, if all this Guild stuff doesn’t work out, I should talk to Rolo and Nyma about improving their menu because, man, does it need some _work_ ,” he said.

 

Lance pouted at him. “Aw, come on, Hunk! Are you really going to come all this way just to work as a cook? I mean, you should have just stayed home if that was what you wanted since that was all you were doing anyway.”

 

Hunk rolled his eyes. It was only because he had been friends with Lance for years that he knew he didn’t actually mean any offense, even if he could be a little annoying at times. Not to mention, unlike Lance, he didn’t have any great need for fame or anything like that. All he ever wanted to do since he was a kid was to travel and taste all the food the world had to offer, and he was already halfway there.

 

“I’m just saying,” he mumbled, forcing himself to cut into the thing that had the audacity to call itself a ‘steak’. “Having a backup plan isn’t a bad thing.”

 

They continued eating for a few minutes while discussing other Guilds they could potentially try out for tomorrow. They were almost done with their meal when they heard a crash on the other side of the room.

 

Hunk whipped his head up and the source of the noise quickly became obvious. There were three mages sitting at a now overturned table. Five Garrison mages surrounded them; each of them wore a nasty smirk on their face. Hunk groaned when he recognized two of them from the stall earlier today.

 

Lance was the first to stand up and Hunk immediately knew what he was going to say. “Five against three? Now that’s not really fair, is it?” he smirked and winked at Hunk before strolling towards them.

 

 _I hate it when I’m right_ , Hunk thought with a sigh even as he pushed himself up and followed after him.

 

“—you should just pack it up while you can still save face,” one of the Garrison mages, the one who made the tasteless ‘mermaid’ comment, was saying as Hunk and Lance neared the growing crowd around them.

 

One of his companions took a swig from his beer and let out a loud burp that even Hunk could smell despite the distance between them. “Guild Altea’s no more, little girl. If you couldn’t even keep one of yours from turnin’ on ya the first time, what makes you think you’ll do any better this time?” His lips curled into a slimy smirk.

 

 _Guild Altea?_ , Hunk thought, exchanging a curious look with Lance. The name sounded familiar but Hunk was pretty sure the Guild didn’t exist anymore.

 

Did it?

 

The ‘little girl’ the mage had been talking to was, in actuality, a pretty dark-skinned girl with silver hair and pink crescent moon markings beneath her eyes. She shot him an icy glare that could’ve frozen oceans as she rose from her seat, the very picture of grace. Her fists were shaking from being clenched so tightly at her side. “Big words for members of the very Guild that ignored our pleas for help,” she spat.

 

“Not our responsibility,” another Garrison mage sneered, spitting onto the floor.

 

 _Wow, classy_ , thought Hunk with a scowl.

 

One of the two figures sitting next to her shot to her feet as well and Hunk could practically _feel_ the heat of her anger radiating from them like a furnace. Despite her short stature, he was instantly on guard.

 

“That seems to be the running theme with your useless Guild,” she spat. She barreled on before the Garrison mages could respond, “You don’t take responsibility for your community or even when one of your own nearly kills himself for a pointless mission! Tell me, do you actually believe that the Garrison won’t toss you aside like trash once you’ve outlived your usefulness?”

 

Hunk let out a low whistle, impressed.

 

The Garrison mages looked dumbfounded for a second before one of them suddenly drew their staff out. “Looks like someone needs a lesson on respecting her superiors!” he growled just before swinging his staff down at her head.

 

Hunk and Lance bolted forward but, before they could even get close enough to do anything, _something_ darted forward in the air and slammed against the mage’s face, releasing—pollen?

 

The Garrison mage went down immediately while the girl shouted, “Good job, Rover!”

 

The thing, which Hunk now saw was a wooden puppet, jumped into her waiting arms.

 

That seemed to be enough to snap his companions out of their stupor, because one of them began to aim their staff at the first girl. Hunk drew his own staff out and was prepared to fire off an electric bolt at him when the girl threw her arms out in front of her. With a shout, the air around her crackled with energy and vibrant purple _sparks_ —actual _sparks_ —danced across her fingers before shooting out towards him.

 

Hunk had never seen that type of magic before but, whatever it was, it was enough to knock this guy down in less than a second flat.

 

Meanwhile, two of the remaining mages tried to corner the third figure, a red-haired man who had simply been watching the whole spectacle like he was at some kind of sports game. The two mages, clearly having learned from their comrades, didn’t even bother with their staffs, but instead leapt towards the man.

 

Hunk wasn’t quite sure what happened next. One minute, the two of them looked like they were about to pummel the leaner man into the ground, the next, _they_ were the ones on the ground while the man stood over them, twirling his moustache. “Trying to instigate a physical fight with a healer mage who knows all the most vulnerable places on the human body? Tsk, tsk, what _are_ they teaching you at that blasted Guild these days?” And then there was only one, the ‘mermaid’ guy. He seemed to be smarter than his companions, at least, because he didn’t try to attack any of them. Instead, he held his ground and his eyes darted rapidly between them, clearly assessing his chances.

 

Finally, with a snarl, the mage withdrew a small pouch that was inscribed with runes. The hairs on Hunk’s arms and the back of his neck stood up at the sight of it. He didn’t even have to read the runes to know that it was bad news—he could practically feel the room’s temperature drop.

 

“Hey! You know the rules, hex bags are strictly prohibited here!” Rolo’s voice shouted from somewhere.

 

Too late, the mage sneered at the silver-haired girl before lobbing it towards her with all his might.

 

“Allura, look out!” cried the man, but he and the other girl were too far away.

 

Suddenly, a familiar, tell-tale gust of wind blew past Hunk and the hex bag quite literally froze in the air, becoming a harmless icicle just before it fell to the ground and shattered into pieces.

 

The mage’s eyes widened. “What?”

 

Lance stepped in front of him. “How’s _that_ for a mermaid?”

 

Seeing no better time to step in, Hunk walked up to the mage and tapped his staff agains the man, sending an effective but relatively harmless shock to his body. “Time to say goodnight,” he said, maybe just a bit too gleefully. The man went down without a sound.

 

It was only during the tense seconds of silence that followed that Hunk realized they had drawn a sizeable crowd. A crowd that was now staring at them in a mix of fear and awe. Hunk gulped and hunched his shoulders, unused to the weight of so many people’s eyes on him at once.

 

Luckily, Rolo and Nyma stepped in, followed by two big burly men. “Alright, alright, show’s over, folks,” said Nyma, putting herself firmly between the five of them and the crowd with her hands on her hips.

 

“Sal, Beezer, let’s drop these assholes off at the watchmen’s station,” Rolo told the two men behind him, “and let their Guild handle the mess.”

 

Hunk could only stare as the men, Sal and Beezer, easily lifted the unconscious mages like they weighed nothing and proceeded to carry them out the door of the inn.

 

By now, with Nyma and Rolo’s help, the crowd began thinning away, although Hunk could tell from the muttering around them that it certainly didn’t mean their attention was no longer on them. Nyma winked at them. “If anyone asks, just tell them that the Garrison assholes instigated the whole thing first. Rolo and I will back you up as witnesses.”

 

And then it was just Hunk, Lance, and the three mages.

 

The silver-haired girl let out a deep sigh and dropped back down into her seat. “Thank you for your help, gentlemen. My name is Allura and I am the leader of Guild Altea. These are the other members, Pidge…” the short one, along with her wooden puppet, waved her hand, “...and Coran.” The ginger man bowed to them with a flourish. “May I ask what your names are?”

 

Hunk could almost hear Lance’s response before the other boy opened his mouth. He shook her hand and flashed his Charming Smile Number Two. “Hi there, I’m Lance but you can call me whatever you want.”

 

“Just Lance then,” said Allura dryly, instantly earning Hunk’s respect.

 

Hunk introduced himself next. As he and Lance sat down, Coran noted, “Very few people would willingly go up against the Garrison, you know.”

 

Hunk snorted, “Well, we’re not really on friendly terms with the Garrison at the moment.”

 

“Besides, you guys seem like a _much_ more interesting Guild,” said Lance, leaning his elbow against the table in a way that he thought made him look debonair but really only made him look twitchy. “Guild Altea, huh? That name sounds familiar.”

 

Pidge raised her eyebrow. “You must be from out of town.”

 

“Is it really that obvious?” Hunk asked.

 

Pidge, Allura, and Coran exchanged looks with each other. “Well, you certainly dress like it,” Coran sniffed eventually. Hunk got the feeling he was leaving something out.

 

But before he could think of a response, Lance blurted out, “What’s _that_ supposed to mean?”

 

“My apologies, I meant no offence, merely that the type of clothes you’re wearing are very obviously provincial.”

 

“ _Provincial?_ ”

 

“We’re getting off topic,” said Allura firmly. “Lance, Hunk, I take it you’re in the city for the tryouts?”

 

“Well, we were going to have a look around tomorrow,” said Lance, winking at her. “But I think we just found the right Guild.”

 

“If you’ll have us,” added Hunk, because his mama actually raised him right.

 

To be honest, he was still hesitant about joining _any_ Guild but Allura, Pidge, and Coran were obviously strong mages. And they took care of the Garrison jerks like they were rookies instead of the experts they were supposed to be.

 

...Okay, Hunk could admit that he was also curious.

 

Allura beamed at them. “Well, after the performance you gave us, I’m pleased to offer you membership into the Guild. Now, to our first order of business—”

 

“Wait, wait, already?” asked Lance. “Isn’t there supposed to be a grace period or something?”

 

“That only applies to Guilds with ten or more members,” Coran pointed out cheerfully.”

 

“Not to mention, we don’t actually have time for that right now,” added Pidge.

 

Lance’s brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”

 

“She means that we have a time-sensitive mission to complete,” Allura explained in a solemn voice. “There is...an heirloom that was stolen from Guild Altea four months ago by an unsanctioned Guild called the _Galra_.” There was fire in her voice. “And I intend to retrieve it. Do you think you are up to the task?”

 

 _No_ , Hunk wanted to say. Things were moving way more quickly than what he was used to, but he knew that Lance was going to say ‘yes’ anyway and, well, he knew that he’d go wherever Lance went—if for nothing else than to make sure his best friend wouldn’t accidentally kill himself.

 

He nodded to Lance, who turned back to the group with a wide, mischievous grin that promised trouble for anyone foolish enough to get in his way. “We’re in.”

* * *

He no longer knew what day it was.

 

He had drifted in and out of consciousness so many times that he didn’t even know how many days, months, or even years had passed since the mission failed.

 

All he knew was the _cold_. It permeated his skin, piercing straight into his bones.

 

But he wasn’t alone.

 

A laugh. It was soft, barely audible, but there was nothing gentle about it. It cut into his ears like broken glass, surrounding _her_ presence like miasma.

 

“ _Soon, you’ll be ready_ ,” _her_ voice said.

 

He hoped that Matt had been able to escape.

* * *

Pidge could safely say that she never imagined joining a Guild would involve _this_ much camping. It was almost enough to make her regret it.

 

 _No, that’s not quite true_ , she thought more somberly as she finished building the fire for their new campsite for the night. _Remember, you’re doing this for Matt_.

 

She could still remember the day he knocked on their front door months after he and his partner, Shiro, had been declared missing by the Garrison. His skin was so pale it was almost grey and his eyes were bloodshot. “ _Shiro—Shiro, he—_ ” was the only thing he had been able to get out before collapsing right into Pidge’s lap.

 

He hadn’t woken up since then.

 

“And you’re absolutely sure we can’t just go _around_ the mountains instead?” she heard Lance ask from across the campsite.

 

Pidge didn’t even have to look to know exactly what expression Allura was making. They’d all lost track of how many times Lance had asked this question. “ _Yes_ , Lance, I am,” said Allura. Pidge could practically _hear_ the eye roll in her voice. “It is the quickest way to reach the Galra’s base. Travelling around the mountains would take us triple the amount of time.”

 

“And that’s a bad thing because…?”

 

“Because it is imperative that we retrieve my—this heirloom as soon as possible. It is a very rare and powerful item, and the longer it is in the Galra’s hands, the more dangerous the Guild will become,” Allura explained once again, voice becoming impatient.

 

“You know, you still haven’t really told us exactly _what_ this fancy item is,” said Lance casually, too casually. “I mean, how bad could it really be?”

 

Pidge’s ears perked up and she snuck a glance at the two of them. She caught Hunk and Coran doing the same thing from where they were occupied with setting the tents up.

 

Allura didn’t say anything for a few seconds. Pidge almost thought that she might actually answer this time until she tersely replied, “Aren’t you supposed to be out hunting right now?”

 

 _Damn, she’s not even trying to deflect anymore_ , thought Pidge, simultaneously impressed with Lance’s progress with annoying Allura into telling the truth and disappointed at the continued lack of answers. Even now, when they were at the very base of the Daibazaal Mountains, the older girl refused to budge.

 

Lance groaned but obediently hefted the bows and arrows Coran had given him upon learning that he was actually a pretty good shot. “Alright, alright, I’m going.”

 

Once he left, they all resumed what their jobs.

 

Pidge shuffled over to Hunk. “You’d think Lance would give up after the third time she shut him down,” she whispered to him.

 

Hunk snorted, “Lance? Give up? Nah, I don’t even think he knows what that means.” He glanced around and, when he was satisfied that Coran and Allura were far away enough, he continued more softly, “Besides, don’t _you_ want to know what’s so special about this mystery heirloom? I mean, I know that Allura is technically our boss now but a little more transparency wouldn’t be amiss.”

 

Pidge had to admit that he was right.

 

Everyone in the capital and even the outskirts, which included Pidge and her family, knew the story of Guild Altea’s near destruction. Well, more accurately, they knew of the _rumors_ that circulated like hungry vultures after that horrible night.

 

From what Pidge could piece together herself based on those rumors and what she, Hunk, and Lance had since learned from Allura and Coran (which, admittedly, was not much), there had been some sort of power struggle between the Guild’s previous leader, Alfor, and another senior member. When Hunk asked about the exact nature of the conflict, Allura and Coran had gone tight-lipped.

 

Anyway, this all apparently came to a head a few months ago during a Guild meeting, where the aforementioned member stole the item they were currently searching for and somehow used it to slaughter all the members of the Guild—all except for Allura and Coran.

 

According to Allura, the last thing she remembered was her father shoving her and Coran into a trapdoor and casting a spell to put them to sleep. The watchmen found them, slightly scathed but—more importantly—alive, among the wreckage the next morning.

 

Allura claimed that she only wanted to take back her Guild’s heirloom but Pidge knew from the way her voice hardened whenever she talked about the Galra and how her eyes burned as hot as the sun that she wanted more than that.

 

Pidge could understand. The only reason she hadn’t marched straight into the Garrison’s headquarters to raise hell was the fact that, no matter how strong she was, she was still just one person. She could easily take care of herself if it had just been a handful of mages, but a whole Guild? Even she knew that was suicide.

 

That still didn’t stop her core from burning furiously, starving for vengeance—anything to make things right.

 

“Incoming!” Lance’s voice screamed, back much earlier than expected.

 

Pidge scrambled to her feet just as Lance burst into the campsite with his bow and arrow drawn, hair a mess, and his arms horribly scratched up.

 

“Wha—Lance? What happened?” Hunk cried.

 

“I’ll explain later but we need to move, _now!_ ”

 

“What—”

 

Hunk was cut off by a low growl that sent ice down Pidge’s spine. Everyone immediately whipped their heads in the direction of the noise, staffs and other weapons drawn.

 

Then, _something_ moved in the shadows of the path that led up to the mountains. It was a wolf-like creature, only it was much, _much_ bigger than a wolf; it was almost the size of a tree. Its eyes glowed an unnatural, sickly lavender colour and its furs were covered in runes that also glowed purple.

 

Pidge’s heart sank as two more of those things appeared behind the first one. The three of them were baring fangs that were as big as Pidge’s own arm.

 

And they were glaring right at the group.

 

“ _Robeasts_ ,” hissed Allura.

 

“How the hell do we beat them?” Lance hissed back. “My arrows practically bounced off of them and they were too fast for my magic!”

 

No one had an answer for him.

 

The first beast bent forward on its front legs, clearly ready to pounce. Pidge gulped and held her staff in front of her. She didn’t know _how_ they were going to survive this but she sure as hell wasn’t going down without a fight.

 

But then, just as the beast jumped, something exploded in front of its snout, causing it to stumble.

 

“What the hell was that?” Hunk shouted.

 

They soon got their answer in the form of a cloaked figure jumping in front of them. He was a boy around their age, with black hair that reached the nape of his neck and pale skin. The boy glared at them. “Hey, you’re all mages, right? Then start acting like it and help me take these things out!”

* * *

The fight lasted less than ten minutes, but to Allura, it felt like it lasted hours.

 

It was the first time her Guild—and a completely different one at that—had really fought together. The drunk Garrison mages they beat a few days ago were _nothing_ compared to these beasts.

 

Allura considered herself a fairly proficient crystal mage but she had never faced anything like these beasts before. They were fast and, at least for the first minutes of the battle, seemed to be completely immune to everything she and the others threw at them.

 

It was only thanks to Lance’s sharp eyes that they were able to start gaining ground. “Aim for their necks!” he cried after striking one of them in the neck with an arrow coated with deadly magical ice. The beast let out a furious roar as it stumbled to the ground, although it didn’t stay down for long. “I think we just need to hit them there a few times!”

 

After that, it was just a matter of teamwork before they finally downed all of them. Hunk and Pidge had proven to be a more formidable team than Allura expected, considering how Hunk’s powers laid in electricity while Pidge was a wood mage. Somehow, they managed to combine Hunk’s powers with Pidge’s wooden puppet before lobbing it at one of the beasts. It latched onto the thing’s neck and sent a shockwave through the creature. It collapsed within seconds and did not get up again.

 

The newcomer turned out to be a fire mage and his abilities actually complemented Lance’s skills, of all things. They discovered this by accident when Lance aimed another ice arrow at the beast closest to him at the same time the newcomer shot a firebolt at the creature. The beast fell to the ground with an eerie scream and struggled for a few seconds before getting back up.

 

The next time Lance and the other boy hit the creature with their powers, it stayed down.

 

Finally, there was only one beast left. Allura’s aim wasn’t as good as Lance’s but she eventually got a shot right through its neck. It fell to the ground with an earth-shaking _thud_ but did not get back up.

 

After hastily pushing the bodies out of the way, they gathered around the campfire. “Sooo, do we have a name, Mr. Short, Dark, and Broody?” Lance began.

 

Was it crass? A little. But Allura had to admit it was an effective ice-breaker.

 

(Ugh, the pun was _not_ intended.)

 

The boy scowled. “I’m not _short_ , you just have freakishly long legs. And my name is Keith Kogane.”

 

Pidge raised her eyebrows, recognition entering her eyes. “Keith Kogane? As in, Takashi Shirogane’s _ward_ Keith Kogane?”

 

It was Keith’s turn to raise his eyebrows. “How the hell do you know that?”

 

“My brother Matt was in the Garrison. He was— _is_ friends with Shiro and he told me about you.” Pidge narrowed her eyes. “What the hell are you doing here?”

 

“I should be asking you that,” Keith retorted. His violet eyes swept over all of them in suspicion and the action reminded Allura of a cornered fox.

 

“We asked first,” Lance sniffed, crossing his arms and raising his nose at Keith.

 

Allura placed her hand on his shoulder, gently pulling him back, and met Keith’s eyes. “I suppose that’s fair, since you did help us after all.” She introduced herself, along with the rest of the Guild, and gave a brief summary of their mission. “We’re on our way to the Galra’s headquarters.”

 

Something flashed in Keith’s eyes and his nostrils flared. “The Galra,” he spat their name out like it was poison, “is the reason I’m out here, too. I’ve been trying to get past these robeasts for days but never had any luck until now.”

 

“Days?” Coran yelled, alarmed. “Robeasts are creatures of magic that are incredibly difficult to summon and keep on this plane for longer than an _hour_ , much less a _day_. What could possibly have the power to do that?”

 

“Isn’t it obvious? It’s the Galra,” Keith growled. He pulled an object out of his pocket and threw it on the ground, where it was illuminated by the glow of the fire.

 

Allura gasped and clapped a hand over her mouth. It was a metal pendant attached to a chain. The pendant’s pattern was one that Allura had seen a hundred times before on _that man’s_ armour.

 

“What’s that?” Hunk asked, leaning closer to have a look.

 

“It’s...the insignia for Guild Galra,” Allura answered quietly.

 

“I don’t know how or why, but they have Shiro,” continued Keith, his eyes piercing straight through hers. Allura flinched; they were almost accusing. “He went missing a few months ago while on a mission for the Garrison. They told me he was dead but I _know_ he isn’t—I can feel it.” He turned to Pidge. “Your brother—do you know what happened?”

 

Pidge shook her head sadly. “No, all we got was Shiro’s name before he fell into a coma. My parents and I went to all the best healers in the capital but nothing’s worked so far. They’ve never seen anything like this.” Her head suddenly shot up, startling them all. Allura didn’t know the other girl that well yet but she thought she could practically hear the gears in her head whirring rapidly. “The Galra...were they—did they have something to do with Shiro and Matt’s mission?” she asked. Her question may have been directed at Keith but her wide, calculating eyes were on Allura.

 

One by one, everyone followed her gaze. “Allura?” Lance prodded gently. “I know you already told us the Galra are bad news and everything, but if there’s anything else you can tell us about them, now’s the time.”

 

Allura had been afraid of this. She inhaled and met everyone’s eyes; their expressions ranged from skeptical, to curious, to even fear. They deserved answers but a small part of her couldn’t help but feel ashamed. Altea was a proud Guild, once, and now...

 

And now all that was left of it was four teenagers, including herself, and her godfather.

 

“The Galra are led by a man called Zarkon. My father and him founded Guild Altea together.”

 

“ _Holy_ —” Hunk instantly clapped his hand over Lance’s mouth while Pidge elbowed his side.

 

“The Guild prospered for many years. That was until…” she trailed off as memories of that night filled her mind’s eyes. Coran rested his hand on her shoulder and gave her an encouraging smile. She shook her head and continued, “Until Zarkon betrayed us for his own greed. He stole my father’s crystal— _my family’s_ crystal—and used its powers to decimate the Guild. Afterwards, he escaped and founded his own Guild, the Galra.

 

“I don’t know what he wants to do with the crystal but no matter what it is, he must be stopped. That crystal—the Voltron crystal—is one of the most powerful artifacts in the kingdom. If it falls into the wrong hands…”

 

“And that’s the thing you want us to steal?” asked Pidge, but it sounded more like a statement than a question.

 

“I’ve heard of the Voltron crystal. My grandfather told me stories about how it could level seas and cause earthquakes when I was a kid,” Hunk gulped, “I guess we now know where the robeasts came from. Hey, isn’t the crystal supposed to be able to grant wishes and stuff?”

 

Allura gave him a dry smile. “Not exactly, but, considering its power, that’s not a far-off claim.” She sighed, “I’m sorry for withholding this information from you earlier, but I was afraid you would be scared off. If any of you wish to return to the capital, then I won’t stop you.”

 

“No way,” said Pidge immediately. “That crystal may be the only thing that can save my brother and I’m not leaving without it. Besides, the Galra are responsible for what happened to him in the first place and I have a bone to pick with them.”

 

“Same here,” said Lance, finally freeing himself from Hunk’s grip. “Well, not the brother part, but everything else.” He nudged Hunk. “Someone’s gotta stop this guy, right, buddy?”

 

Hunk swallowed. “Y-Yeah, sure, let’s go and face the Guild led by a maniac that nearly wiped out one of the strongest Guilds in the kingdom like they were nothing, no big deal.” He sighed. “I mean—yeah, I’m in. It’s kind of too late to turn back anyway. And it’s the right thing to do.”

 

“That’s the spirit!”

 

“I want in,” said Keith suddenly. They all swung their heads towards him. “Look, I don’t really care about this Voltron crystal of yours but the Galra have Shiro and I’m going to rescue him. And, for the time being, it looks like joining you guys is my best option.”

 

“Thanks, that makes us feel _so_ special,” snorted Lance.

 

Despite their bickering, Allura couldn’t help but smile. For the first time since before the night that took everything from her, she felt _hope_.

* * *

Leave the safety and comfort of his village to join Lance on his personal quest to join the strongest Guild in the entire kingdom? Sure, why not? Heck, it might even be fun!

 

Join Guild Altea, a Guild that was nearly wiped out months ago by a crazy mage who was hell-bent on—well, he didn’t actually know but it was obviously _something_ not good, and go on a magical journey to steal back a powerful crystal that the aforementioned crazy mage had stolen from them? That was the exact opposite of Hunk’s idea of fun.

 

 _Unfortunately_ , thought Hunk as they traversed down the other side of the Daibazaal Mountains, _it’s a bit too late to do anything about that now_.

 

The worst part was he couldn’t even blame Lance for it, really. He had plenty of chances to say ‘no’—as his brain had been happily reminding him for the last few days—but, for some reason, just kept saying ‘yes’.

 

Well, no, he _knew_ what the reason was; it was his own damned curiosity and, if he was honest, a healthy dose of outrage at what happened to Allura and Coran’s Guild—heck, their whole _family_ , really. He still didn’t know them that well but if there was one thing he knew, it was that they hadn’t deserved any of it.

 

He took another step forward but, instead of meeting the familiar solid weight of stone, his shoes met empty air. His foot hung suspended in the air for perhaps a second before the rest of his body went by the way of gravity and began to fall.

 

He heard someone call out his name but all he knew in that moment was that the entire world had gone sideways and he was going to plummet to his death because that was apparently how his life was going to end. _Well, at least it wasn’t through accidentally frying myself with one of my inventions_ , was his last thought.

 

But then, he felt something wrap around his wrist milliseconds before his body jerked to a stop in midair. He blinked, then blinked again before looking up, gaze landing on the pale gloved hand wrapped around his much darker one and following it up to the boy attached to it.

 

“Keith?” he squeaked, both because he hadn’t expected their surly new companion to catch him and because _what the hell, just how strong is this guy?_

 

“You okay, big guy?” grunted Keith. At Hunk’s nod, he continued, “I’m gonna pull you up now.”

 

He does so with a strength that Hunk would _never_ have expected from someone of his size.

 

Once Keith finished pulling him up and he sat through the requisite fussing from Lance, the group continued on their way; Allura and Coran led the way while Lance, Keith, and Hunk brought up the rear with Pidge in between them. After a few minutes, Hunk fell back to walk alongside Keith, giving Lance a wave when the other boy shot him a questioning glance.

 

“Hey,” Hunk began quietly, “uh, thanks for the save back there. I would have turned into a pancake if it weren’t for you.”

 

Keith shrugged and turned away, looking more awkward than usual, which Hunk didn’t think was possible.

 

He was learning a lot about Keith today, apparently.

 

“Anyone would have done the same,” Keith replied.

 

“Yeah, but _you_ were still the only one who caught me,” said Hunk. A pause. “Okay, I guess it’s because you were closest, but still! You—uh, work out a lot?”

 

Keith snorted. “I guess you could say that. Shiro trained me.”

 

 _Huh_.

 

“Wow, that’s pretty cool,” said Hunk. “How did you two meet anyway?”

 

Keith glanced back at him. “Um, it’s kind of a long story…” he trailed off.

 

It was Hunk’s turn to shrug. “Well, it’s not like we don’t have the time. Er, that’s only if you want to,” he hastily added.

 

When Keith didn’t respond after a few seconds, he thought that was it.

 

But then, for the third time in as many minutes, Keith surprised him. “We met when I was fourteen,” he began, his voice halting but determined. “I was—my parents dropped me off at an orphanage when I was little. I ran away when I was thirteen and started living on the streets on my own. I—uh, tried to pickpocket Shiro one day.”

 

“You _what?_ ” Hunk yelled, drawing Lance and Pidge’s raised eyebrows. He giggled and gave them what he hoped was a reassuring grin.

 

Once they turned back, Hunk continued more quietly, “You what?”

 

Keith blushed. “He was wearing the Garrison uniform and looked like he could afford to lose some GAC,” he protested. “I managed to get about half a block away before he caught me.” His lips curled into a smirk. “I thought that I was about to get the beating of my life.”

 

“Then what happened?”

 

“He bought me lunch.”

 

Hunk couldn’t help barking out a laugh. “What? No way!”

 

Keith’s smirk grew. “Oh, yes way. He bought me lunch, we chatted for a bit, and then he asked if I wanted to join the Garrison.”

 

“You were part of the Garrison?”

 

Keith’s smirk disappeared in a scowl. “Not that it did any good,” he muttered darkly. “They didn’t even try to rescue Shiro—hell, they even went as far as to pretend he never existed.”

 

“I’m sorry, man,” said Hunk with complete sincerity.

 

Keith shrugged. “Doesn’t matter, I’m going to save him anyway.” He sounded like he believed it, too.

 

Without thinking, Hunk placed a hand on his shoulder. Keith visibly startled but didn’t throw his hand off. Instead, he blinked at Hunk curiously. “ _We’ll_ save him,” said Hunk, smiling confidently at him.

 

After a second, Keith returned it with a tentative smile of his own. “Yeah, we will.”

 

“Hey, guys! We’re almost there!” Lance shouted.

 

Hunk whipped his head up and caught Keith doing the same out of the corner of his eye. Although they hadn’t quite reached the bottom of the mountain yet, they could already see the turrets of a castle peeking out in the distance. With the setting sun at its back, the castle looked like it had been painted completely black and cast long, intimidating shadows that stretched across the land like claws.

 

Hunk couldn’t help but gulp. This was it. Taking on the Galra was no longer just an abstract idea—it was really going to happen.

 

He felt someone nudge his arm and turned to find himself in the center of Keith’s gaze. “Hey, it’s going to be okay,” the other boy said. “We can do this.”

 

Lance, who clearly overheard him, turned around and gave Hunk a thumbs up. “You know what? I actually agree with Mullet here for once. The Galra will have no idea what hit ‘em.”

 

“ _Will you stop calling me that_ —”

 

“It’s time,” said Allura. Her eyes were fixed on the castle. Hunk was pretty sure that not even an explosion right now could get her attention.

 

Hunk squared his shoulders, inhaled, and exhaled deeply.

 

_Welp, here goes nothing._

* * *

_Her_ cackles drifted through the air, stirring him awake from his slumber. If he did dream, he didn’t remember it. All he knew was the darkness and _her_ voice.

 

“ _Your friends are rather interesting_ ,” _she_ said. “ _Did you know that they are on their way to save you? How touching_.” Every raspy word stabbed into his mind like knives. It _hurt_.

 

And there was nothing he could do about it.

 

“ _Haggar_ ,” came another voice. It was deep, booming, and full of power. It reminded him of the sea; ever rolling, unstoppable, and so _cold_. “ _You assured me that the robeasts could not be defeated. What happened?_ ”

 

“ _Be at peace, my Lord. It is only a temporary setback. Those children will be disposed of easily enough once they arrive_.”

 

“ _And what about_ her?”

 

He didn’t have to open his eyes to know that she must have smiled/must be smiling now/was smiling. He imagined white fangs sharper than a sword, glimmering in the darkness like faerielights.

 

 _If you ever see faerielights in the forest at night, you must never go near them. If you do, you’ll be lost forever_ , he remembered once telling someone.

 

But who?

 

(In his mind’s eye, he saw a shape. The shape was a short boy with black hair and pale skin. But he couldn’t see the boy’s eyes.)

 

A calloused hand touched his cheek. It burned like hot ice. “ _Ah,_ it _is almost ready now_ ,” _she_ said. “ _And not a moment too soon, it would seem_.”

 

Satisfaction dripped from _her_ voice. It sent chills down his bones.

* * *

As Keith stared up at the castle’s imposing gates, he couldn’t help but feel his hackles rise. They managed to slip past every single guard they had seen so far, but that did nothing to sooth his anxiety about the whole situation. In fact, that just made it _worse_.

 

“Don’t you think this has been too easy so far?” he muttered as he, Allura, and Hunk snuck through the gates with the shadows cast by the moon as their shelter.

 

“ _Please don’t say that_ ,” Hunk moaned quietly. “This whole sneaking around business is hard enough for me already.”

 

“It is also too late for us to change our plans now,” Allura growled stubbornly.

 

Keith frowned at her. He got the feeling that she would have charged in anyway regardless of what their plan had been.

 

‘The plan’, which Lance—of all people—had been responsible for, was to split the group so they could cover more ground and have a better chance of finding Shiro and the Voltron crystal. Keith, Allura, and Hunk, as the heavy hitters, had the dubious job of sneaking into the castle while Pidge, Coran, and Lance focused on planting the hex bags that Pidge and Hunk had haphazardly crafted during their journey at various points throughout the castle. Afterwards, if everything went according to plan, they would rendezvous by the entrance and trigger the hex bags to explode and cover their escape.

 

It wasn’t a bad plan. In fact, even Keith had to admit it was pretty brilliant. But the fact that nothing had gone wrong so far was making his instincts scream at him to get out _now_.

 

He wouldn’t, of course, because _Shiro_ was here, but that didn’t mean he had to like it.

 

They eventually reached a fork in their path. “Where to now?” Hunk asked.

 

Allura closed her eyes and placed her hand on the wall. A few seconds passed before her eyes shot open and she gazed determinedly at the hallway to the left. “There,” she declared before darting forward.

 

Keith and Hunk followed without a word. They still didn’t know what the full extent of Allura’s powers were—and Keith had the feeling that they would probably never find out what it was—but they trusted her instincts. Somehow, her magic was tied to the Voltron crystal and that was enough for Keith.

 

Gradually, Keith began to _feel_ it. The air was filled with magic—so much so that it was almost suffocating.

 

And not only that, it was _dark_ magic, too.

 

“Okay, is anyone else getting a bad feeling about this? Because I totally am,” hissed Hunk.

 

“It’s not just you,” Keith whispered, closing his hand on the handle of his blade.

 

“We’re nearly there,” Allura told them. “I can feel it.”

 

‘It’ turned out to be a set of massive wooden double doors that led into what Keith was confident was a great hall of some sort. And he could almost _hear_ the magic thrumming wildly on the other side.

 

“Ready?” Allura asked, already placing her hands on the doors.

 

Keith unsheathed his blade while Hunk withdrew his staff. “Whenever you are,” he grunted, eyes never leaving the doors.

 

Allura took a deep breath before pushing the doors open.

 

It revealed a heavily shadowed ballroom that reminded Keith a lot of the great hall of the Garrison’s headquarters, only bigger. The only light sources in the room were the crystals that hung on the walls, casting an eerie, unnatural purple glow through the whole room.

 

And, sitting on the throne on the opposite side of the room, was a tall, imposing male figure. He had tanned, leathery skin and a scarred face that spoke of hundreds—maybe even thousands—of battles. To his right was a thin, cloaked figure whose skin was so pale it was almost blue. She had platinum white hair just like Allura. And to the left—

 

“ _Shiro!_ ” Keith cried, stumbling forward. It was only Allura’s unnaturally strong grip on his arm that kept him from taking another step. “ _What did you do to him?_ ”

 

It was Shiro...but there was something _different_. He stood at parade rest, body as still as a statue. His right arm was just— _gone_ , replaced by some sort of metallic prosthetic now.

 

But it was his eyes that made Keith’s breath catch in his throat. They were glowing deep purple, the same shade as the crystals all around them, and the man was looking at Keith like he had never seen him before in his life.

 

“ _So, you’ve finally arrived, daughter of Alfor_ ,” chuckled the figure in the throne. “ _But what of your friends? I was informed that there were at least three more of you_.”

 

“Oh hell, this really _was_ too easy,” Hunk whimpered. But he didn’t back down. Instead, he tightened his grip on his staff.

 

“ _Zarkon,_ ” Allura hissed. She let go of Keith and stepped forward with her staff pulled out. “Return the Voltron crystal to me _immediately_.”

 

The figure beside Zarkon let out a high-pitched laugh that made all the hairs on Keith’s arms and the back of his neck stand up. “ _The Voltron crystal, you say?_ ” She then pulled something out of her pocket and Keith didn’t even need to hear Allura’s gasp to know that it had to be the Voltron crystal.

 

It was bigger than any crystal Keith had ever seen and was about the size of an ostrich egg. It glowed light blue but thin purple vines swirled around it. The sight reminded Keith of an infection.

 

“You have no right!” Allura growled.

 

 _If she were a wolf_ , thought Keith, _she would definitely be baring her fangs right about now_.

 

” _I have every right!_ ” Zarkon roared, his voice like thunder. “ _I was the one who discovered the Voltron crystal, not Alfor. It should have been mine—Altea should have been mine!_ ” He rose from his throne and straightened to his full height. Even at this distance, he looked like a giant to Keith. “ _But that is no matter. Soon, not only will I have the crystal, but your powers as well, little Allura._ ”

 

Hunk stepped in front of Allura and actually snarled. “You’ll have to go through us first!”

 

Keith’s gaze returned to Shiro, who still had that cold, unnerving glaze in his eyes. “Shiro, what did they do to you?” he asked, voice coming out like broken glass.

 

But Shiro didn’t say or do anything that indicated he had even heard him.

 

The witch laughed again. “ _If you want your friend and the crystal back so badly_ ,” she began, “ _then you’ll have to fight for them_.” She waved her free hand over the crystal and it pulsed, glowing even brighter for a few seconds. Shiro’s body instantly straightened up in a hard line. “ _Go_ ,” she commanded.

 

“ _Yes, Haggar_ ,” said Shiro tonelessly. He raised his right arm and Keith could only watch helplessly as it began to glow purple as well.

 

He was really beginning to loathe the colour.

 

Then, before he could react, Shiro _moved_.

* * *

“Welp, that’s the last of them,” said Pidge as she jogged over to where Lance and Coran were huddled by a grate just outside of the castle. “Once we meet up with the others and Hunk activates the hex bags, then we’re home free.”

 

“Excellent work, Number Four,” said Coran, giving her a thumbs up. “It looks like everything is going according to plan.”

 

 _Yeah, a little_ too _well_ , thought Lance.

 

It wasn’t that he regretted his plan because it _was_ a good plan. But the fact that they hadn’t encountered any trouble so far was worrying.

 

This was the Galra, after all, and the Guild was led by a mage who was strong enough to take down Guild Altea _all by himself_ —where was their security?

 

“I don’t like this,” he muttered, drawing Coran and Pidge’s attention. “We need to grab the others and get out of here.”

 

“We can’t,” said Coran, surprising them both with the fierce determination in his voice. “We must get the Voltron crystal back and this is our best chance of doing it.”

 

“What’s wrong?” Pidge asked, eyeing him calculatingly.

 

Lance crossed his arms. “I don’t _know_ and that’s the thing,” he huffed in frustration. “Don’t you think it’s weird that there have been so few guards around? What if this is a trap?”

 

“ _If you think this is a trap, then it almost certainly is one_ ,” said a deep male voice that belonged to neither Pidge or Coran.

 

All three of them jumped.

 

“Wha— _Who said that?_ ” Lance yelped.

 

“I did,” came the voice again, louder this time and drifting from the grate.

 

They crowded around the grate and caught a glimpse of a narrow handsome face framed by long white hair through the iron bars. “Uh, and you are?” Lance asked.

 

“My name is Lotor,” said the man pleasantly. “It seems you’ve stumbled upon my prison.”

 

“Prison? You’re a prisoner?”

 

“That is generally what prisons are meant to keep, yes,” mocked Lotor.

 

Before Lance could retort, Pidge cut in, “What did you mean by this being a trap? What do you know?”

 

Lotor raised an eyebrow at her. “Hmm, you look familiar. You wouldn’t happen to be related to a mage called Matthew Holt by any chance?”

 

Lance was pretty sure they could hear a pin drop in the ensuing silence.

 

“How do you know my brother’s name?” Pidge asked shakily. “Who are you?”

 

“Hmm, I suppose you’re not the Garrison’s rescue party after all if you’re asking me that,” said Lotor in snobbish voice, which Lance thought was rich, considering his current circumstance. “But if you must know, I’ve been working for the Garrison for the last few months. Now, I’ve told you who I am. It’s only fair that you tell me who you are.”

 

“We’re—”

 

Lance pulled Pidge back. “H-Hey, hold on a minute. Should we really be spilling the beans to some shady prisoner that we know nothing about?” He looked to Coran for help.

 

Instead of backing him up, Coran was regarding Lotor with a calculating look on his face. “And why should we trust you?” the older man asked eventually.

 

Lotor smirked, revealing particularly sharp canines. If Lance were a wolf, he would have raised his hackles. “Because I guarantee that whatever you’re planning on doing to take the Galra out won’t work. Not without my assistance.”

 

Even though Lance really didn’t want to trust this guy, deep down, a part of him knew that Lotor was telling the truth. Yeah, he was practically oozing smugness but nothing in his voice or expression indicated that he was telling anything but the truth.

 

And compounded by the uneasy feeling he got ever since they split up? Lance was willing to take whatever help they could get to ensure that they could all get out of here alive.

 

“We’re not with the Garrison but we’re here to rescue one of their members, Shiro,” said Lance carefully. “Takashi Shirogane,” he clarified when Lotor continued to stare blankly at him.

 

Recognition entered Lotor’s eyes and he frowned. “Ah, that’s unfortunate. I’m afraid you’re too late.”

 

“Too late?” Pidge breathed.

 

“Zarkon’s right hand, a blasted witch who calls herself _Haggar_ , has been conducting a number of disturbing experiments with a type of crystal I’ve never seen before. She’s been using—Shiro, was it?—Shiro as her guinea pig in one of them.”

 

“What kind of experiment is it?” Coran leaned closer to the grate, sounding more scared than Lance had seen him since the night they got attacked by the robeasts.

 

“The kind that can essentially turn any living being into a puppet.” Lotor sneered. “She even tested him against me a few weeks ago and I can assure you that, judging by her progress then, she has almost certainly succeeded into bending his mind to her will by now.

 

“The last thing I heard before you lot arrived was that she was getting ready to test him against some ‘guests’.” Lotor cocked an unimpressed eyebrow at them—which, rude. “I’m assuming that’s you.”

 

“We’re with Guild Altea,” Lance told him tersely. “Some of our other members snuck in the castle a while ago.”

 

Lotor snorted. “They didn’t sneak in. The witch _let_ them in. She’s probably already intercepted them.” He narrowed his eyes at them. “I take it Alfor’s daughter is here as well.” 

 

It wasn’t a question.

 

”What’s it to you?” Lance retorted.

 

”It matters because Zarkon and Haggar intend to use the crystal to absorb her powers.”

 

 _Absorb Allura’s magic?_ , thought Lance with a shudder. That was just _insane_. Not because it was impossible, because Lance had done and seen enough magic to know not to underestimate it, but because it was such a horrifying thought. How could someone even think of doing that to another human being?

 

“So why are you here?” asked Pidge, cutting Lance out of his thoughts. “You said you were working with the Garrison, right?”

 

Lotor let out a deep sigh. “I’m a mole for the Garrison. I infiltrated the Galra months ago and have been feeding information to the Garrison since. Then...things became complicated.”

 

“And the mission that Shiro and Matt were on?” prompted Pidge.

 

“To extract me. Obviously, it failed.”

 

Lance didn’t have to be as smart as Pidge or Hunk to know that Lotor was obviously leaving some information out, but at the same time...

 

“If we let you out of here,” began Lance before his brain could catch up to his mouth, “will you help us?”

 

Lotor’s smirk widened. “Gladly.”

 

* * *

If Pidge had it her way, getting into any kind of confrontation with the Galra would _not_ have been on the table at all. They were only supposed to get in, plant the hex bags, then get out.

 

But Lotor’s appearance had...changed things. And she wasn’t naive enough to ignore his warnings about this whole thing being a trap from the start.

 

“You ready?” Lance asked, shifting his bow and arrows over his shoulders. Lotor stood to the side, keeping watch over the corridor.

 

Pidge bit the inside of her cheek. “We don’t really have a choice, I guess.”

 

Coran patted her on the shoulder. “We’ve got it,” he said, sounding more confident than Pidge felt.

 

“We’d best hurry if you want any chance at saving your friends,” cut in Lotor.

 

Lance rolled his eyes but squeezed Pidge’s other shoulder. “I’ll see you both on the other side,” he said. And then he and Lotor were gone, off to get ready for their part in the new, haphazard plan they came up with since they busted Lotor out of his cell. Pidge would never admit it, but she already missed having Lance’s hand on her shoulder. It was a comfort she hadn’t realized she needed until now.

 

She and Coran began to jog down the corridor towards where Lotor claimed the main hall was, which he also said their friends were most likely to be.

 

As they rounded the corner, the sounds of a fight reached their ears. Pidge immediately recognized Hunk, Allura, and Keith’s voices as they shouted at each other.

 

There was also a fourth voice—a woman whose cackles sent chills down Pidge’s spine.

 

They dashed into the great hall just in time to see Keith get knocked on his ass while Hunk and Allura were desperately dodging magical energy bolts from a cloaked figure.

 

Keith rolled to his feet as an achingly familiar figure calmly strode towards him and—was his _arm_ glowing?

 

“That’s Shiro…” Pidge breathed. Something heavy sank in her stomach as she realized that Lotor really was telling the truth. It was one thing to imagine a living puppet, another to actually see it—and to see _Shiro_ as one.

 

A deep, haunting chuckle drifted across the room. Pidge whipped her head in the direction of the source, eventually finding it in the shadowed figure sitting on the throne.

 

Time itself seemed to freeze as he stood up. “ _It seems that we have more visitors_ ,” he said, sounding smug rather than surprised.

 

Coran stepped forward. His eyes were narrowed and the man looked the angriest Pidge had ever seen him. “Zarkon, return the Voltron crystal immediately or face the consequences.”

 

Zarkon actually started laughing at that. “ _Oh? And what kind of consequences might that be?_ ”

 

Pidge took that as the cue to raise her staff high above her head. “We’ll blow this place sky high,” she said.

 

A part of her had hoped that it would be enough to get Zarkon to back down but instead, the mage simply laughed. “ _Do you children really think that is enough to frighten me?_ ”

 

“ _You should be_.”

 

Pidge kept her eyes locked on Zarkon and the witch—Haggar—as everyone’s heads shot up at Lotor’s voice from above. Moments later, Lotor dropped down from where he had been hiding in the upper floor, landing gracefully a few feet in front of Zarkon.

 

“ _You_ ,” Zarkon growled. “ _How did you get out?_ ”

 

Lotor smirked and raised his hand, palm open and facing the ceiling. Energy crackled around it, reminding Pidge of the air before a thunderstorm. “Why don’t you face me and find out?”

 

Time moved forward again as Zarkon lunged forward with a roar. It seemed to be a signal because Shiro darted towards Keith again with his arm raised above his head, ready to strike. Keith dodged at the last second and shot a few small flames back.

 

“Hunk, look out!” cried Allura, throwing herself and Hunk out of the way as Haggar shot a bolt of energy at them.

 

Pidge’s gaze narrowed on the crystal in her hand. _There!_ , she thought. She exchanged a look with Coran, who nodded silently.

 

As the room descended into chaos once again, Pidge crept along the wall, inching closer and closer to Haggar. She caught Hunk’s eye at one point and jerked her head pointedly at Haggar, praying to whatever being was out there that he’d understand.

 

Hunk shot her a raised eyebrow but eventually nodded just before throwing himself back into the fray and shooting bolts of electricity back at Haggar. None of them hit but it was enough to keep her attention on him long enough for Pidge to reach her blindspot.

 

Her gazes darted to where Keith and Shiro were locked in an intense battle. She could see that Shiro clearly had the upper hand while Keith was obviously struggling with holding back as he tried to counter Shiro’s attacks. “Fight it, Shiro!” he yelled. “I know you’re in there!”

 

Shiro’s gaze remained terrifyingly cool and blank as he continued charging relentlessly at Keith.

 

Pidge’s eyes darted up into the shadows that blanketed the upper floor. _Come on, Lance_ , she thought worriedly. She was already in place but couldn’t move on to the next phase of the plan until Lance did his part.

 

Lotor’s presence definitely bought them more manpower but the fight between Guild Altea and the Galra was essentially at a stalemate. Pidge tightened her grip on her staff, ready to jump in, when she saw the glint of light.

 

Seconds later, she heard Lance shout, “Move it, Mullet!” just before an arrow was fired towards Keith and Shiro.

 

Keith thankfully rolled out of the way in time as the arrow struck right in front of Shiro’s feet. Ice exploded all over the ground around him, rising up his feet, to his legs and eventually his shoulders, trapping him.

 

“ _No!_ ” cried Haggar. The crystal glowed furiously in her hand but nothing happened. Shiro was stuck and that was all they needed.

 

“Now, Pidge!” shouted Coran.

 

Pidge already had her staff aimed at Haggar. “Come to mama!” she cried.

 

Vines launched into the air from her staff and flew straight at Haggar, some wrapping around her arms while the rest wrapped around the Voltron crystal. The vines withdrew almost as quickly as they appeared, taking the crystal with them—right into Pidge’s hands.

 

She then whipped around, eyes searching for Allura. “Catch!” she screamed as she tossed it towards the other girl as hard as she could.

 

Allura caught it in her hands and the sickly purple swirls that nearly covered the entire crystal began to fade away as soon as she touched it. “Everyone, close your eyes!” she shouted.

 

Pidge shut her eyes and dropped to the floor. She could hear Hunk, Coran, Lance, and Keith do the same.

 

That was the last thing she remembered before an unearthly screech exploded in her ears, followed by the world going white.

* * *

Epilogue “Hey! That’s _mine_ , Mullet!” Lance shrieked.

 

“Then come and get it.” Keith smirked.

 

Coran sighed at their antics from where he was tending to the bar. “If you’re going to get into a fight, then I’d much rather you do it outside. At this point, we’d be lucky if we can get any part of our deposit back.”

 

Lance and Keith’s shoulders dropped sheepishly but they both moved away, the former heading back to the table where he and Hunk had been snacking just a few minutes ago, and the latter moving to lean against the wall next to Shiro, who was busy organizing their bulletin board.

 

Over in the corner, Pidge was chatting excitedly with a recently recovered Matt. The older boy still looked a bit paler than was healthy but he was awake, thanks to the combination of Allura’s magic and the Voltron crystal’s power.

 

Allura approached the bar and sat down with a sigh.

 

“Everything alright, Princess?” Coran asked.

 

Allura gave him a tired smile. “More or less. The Garrison is still being difficult about our new headquarters being so close to theirs.”

 

“And what about Lotor?”

 

Allura bit her lip. “He has been...surprisingly helpful in giving us his support,” she replied hesitantly.

 

Coran understood her hesitation. There was obviously more to Lotor than what was on the surface but trying to get him to reveal any of that was harder than trying to get a bonded pack of yelmores to separate.

 

It had only been two months since they, thanks to Allura’s magic, destroyed the Galra’s base and returned to the capital. Neither Zarkon or Haggar could be found but none of them were naive enough to think that meant they had seen the last of them.

 

Coran patted Allura on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, the Garrison can gripe and whine all they like, but they can’t deny our right for space as another Guild.” He gestured to everyone in the room. “And look at how far we’ve come! Alfor would be proud of you.”

 

He was eventually rewarded with a tentative smile from the girl he had seen as his daughter since the day she was born. “You’re right, Coran, thank you.”

 

“Alright, who’s up for some dinner?” Hunk called out, drawing everyone’s attention to him.

 

“I am!”

 

“Oh, thank the gods, I’m _starving_.”

 

Coran and Allura shared a chuckle before they moved to join the others in the center of the room.

 

Yes, they still had far to go as a relatively young Guild, but Coran had a good feeling about them. No matter what the future threw at them, they would be ready.

 


End file.
